


What's In a Name

by LadyWallace



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, Humor, Light Hurt/Comfort, The angels cannot get Aziraphale's name right, gen - Freeform, heavenly bureaucracy, more friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28625775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyWallace/pseuds/LadyWallace
Summary: For some reason the other angels can never seem to get Aziraphale's name right. When he considers changing it, a friend offers a bit of advice.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	What's In a Name

**Author's Note:**

> Fic request for a friend- hope you enjoy this ^_^

"Oi, Azafel, give me a hand?"

Aziraphale glanced up, brow furrowed at the angel obviously looking directly at him, clearing addressing him.

There was only one problem, obviously.

"Oh, erm, of course," Aziraphale said, biting his lip at the utter embarrassment of the situation. "But it's, um, it's _Aziraphale_."

"Oh, of course, sorry there, old chap," the angel said breezily and nodded to the large crate of files he had been hauling, indicating that, if Aziraphale was willing, he could help out.

Aziraphale refrained from sighing and bent to help the other angel lift the crate. There was really no point in taking the conversation any further. It was best to just forget the embarrassment all together.

Unfortunately, that was not the only instance in which Aziraphale's name was so abused. It seemed to be an increasing problem, actually.

"Hello, Amadel! How are you today?"

"Um…well, good, but, my name is actually…"

"Azazel? Have you finished those papers yet?"

_Azazel?_ Really! Now that was a demon's name, wasn't it? "Why, yes, I did, but could you please…"

"Oh, there you are, Raphael, Gabriel is looking for you."

"It's Aziraphale!" the angel with that very distinctive and apparently hard to remember name shouted in pent up frustration, startling the angel who had spoken to him.

"Sorry?" She even had the audacity to look surprised, as if she hadn't just called him by the name of a completely different angel! Really!

"My name," Aziraphale reiterated. "It's Aziraphale. Not Raphael, not Amadel, but Azafel, or Azazel or anything that might remotely sound like those! Can no one ever remember?"

She blinked, pursing her lips. "My apologies," she said, obviously not attempting to say his name again. "Gabriel wants to see you."

Aziraphale clenched his fists and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Thank you. Good day."

He strode off, still tense with annoyance. Was it really that hard? He knew there were a lot of angels in Heaven, but no one else seemed to have trouble remembering each other's names. Was it because he just wasn't up here that much? Maybe he really had been spending too much time on earth.

He got to Gabriel's office and his secretary looked up from some paperwork on her desk. "Oh, Azriel, thank you for coming in…"

That was the final straw. Something really had to be done about this.

_~~~~~~~_

_The very next day_ , Aziraphale went to visit Gabriel in his office. The archangel looked up with a frown.

"Aziraphale, I don't remember calling you today?"

Aziraphale pressed his lips into a thin line. Of course Gabriel would remember his name. He wasn't sure he counted that as a win. After all, it might have been useful on occasion if the archangel _didn't_ remember him by name.

"No, I came on my own business. I wanted…" he hesitated, biting his lip. This all sounded so petty now that he thought about it, and yet…it was probably for the best. It would certainly cut down on his own frustrations.

"Yes?" Gabriel prompted.

"I would like to change my name," Aziraphale told him firmly.

Gabriel looked taken aback. "Change your name? Why ever would you want to do that?"

"Because no one can ever get it right," Aziraphale said, sounding a bit petulant to his own ears. He took a deep breath. "I just worry it's too complicated. I mean, it is a bit of a mouthful."

Gabriel was silent for a moment before he exhaled slightly, looking back down at the paperwork he was doing. "Well, it's your choice, Aziraphale. But you'll have to go to the records keeper to have it done."

"Thank you," Aziraphale said, feeling a little better now that Gabriel had actually approved it. He hadn't been very hopeful of that, but maybe this would all work out for the best anyway.

He made his way per Gabriel's suggestion to the records offices.

The records room of Heaven was huge and very well kept as would be imagined. Aziraphale walked past the high shelves of records toward the small office in the back, where a very prim and proper angel sat, back ramrod straight, stamping files as he neatly sorted them into an even neater stack of files.

He continued to work even while Aziraphale stood there, the silence growing increasingly awkward. Were angels straight up ignoring him now?

Aziraphale cleared his throat softly. The records keeper did not stop.

"A-hem," he cleared it again, a little louder. "Er, pardon me…"

The records keeper looked up at him slowly with a gaze of what could only be deemed disdain. Aziraphale pursed his lips.

"Yes, how can I help you?" the angel asked.

"Well…I would like to change my name," Aziraphale told him. "I was told I could do that here."

The records keeper looked at him with even more disdain, staying silent for a long time. Aziraphale stared back, refusing to be intimidated. Then finally the records keeper gave a very slight roll of his eyes and bent stiffly to pull open a file drawer under the desk.

He began to systematically pull papers out, stacking each neatly into a pile that grew and grew until there was a nice, thick sheaf of them sitting on top of the desk. The records keeper straightened up, took the papers in both hands and tapped them gently against the desk to straighten them even more than they already were. This he handed to Aziraphale.

"What's this?" Aziraphale asked, eyes widening.

"The papers you will have to fill out in order to change your given name on record. I suggest you read everything carefully, and then fill it all in as neatly as possible. Once you are finished with that and have selected a new name for yourself, I will direct you to where you will have to distribute the different papers. After that, they will have to go through approval before the name change will go into effect."

"But I…it's my name, can't you just put in on record?" Aziraphale demanded, the stack of papers feeling weightier by the second.

"Of course not!" the records keeper snapped. "If it was easy everyone would do it. There has to be some sort of precedent to this kind of thing."

Aziraphale decided that was a fair point. He also knew that arguing wasn't going to do any good. He took the papers and left the records room.

He went back to his bookshop in Soho, making himself some tea and settling in to look through the papers. And, oh, there were so many of them, with so many forms with so many questions that Aziraphale's eyes started to swim after a while. It was starting to give him a headache, so he finally had to set the papers aside.

That was when he realized that he still hadn't actually thought of a name.

"Well, what should it be?" Aziraphale mused. Perhaps something literary? Maybe something from Shakespeare—that would be quite epic. But perhaps that was the problem. His name was very singular already. Aziraphale was not exactly something you heard often. And it really did have too many syllables. Perhaps it was best to go with something simple, Aziraphale thought with a sigh. Something like Stephen, or John. John was a very reliable name. If rather dull…

He was startled out of his musing by the door to the shop opening and when he looked up he was surprised to see Crowley waltzing in, hands in his pockets.

The demon pulled his sunglasses halfway down his nose to greet the angel.

"Angel."

"Crowley," Aziraphale said, standing up and motioning for the demon to sit at the table. "Good to see you. Let me get you a cup of tea."

He went to fetch another cup, and when he came back saw Crowley riffling through the stack of papers.

"Wot in Heaven is all this then?" Crowley asked with a frown.

"Oh, er…" Aziraphale said, slightly embarrassed. "I, um…was thinking of changing my name."

The demon sat up abruptly, looking shocked. "What? Why would you do something like that?"

Aziraphale narrowed his eyes, becoming slightly indignant. "Well, for one, no one in Heaven can even remember my name! And for another, why are you so up in arms about it? You changed your name yourself!"

"Yeah, because Crawly, was…egh," Crowley shuddered. "There's nothing wrong with your name!"

"Oh, come now, even you don't ever use it!" Aziraphale accused. "You always just call me 'angel'. When was the last time you used my full name? You probably don't even remember it!"

"'Course I do!" Crowley replied. "And you're the only angel I know so it makes sense to call you that. Sides, never know when anyone is listening. Don't want to get caught being on a first name basis with your kind."

"Oh, I'm sure," Aziraphale replied flatly, sitting down in a huff and pouring more tea for himself. "Well, then, perhaps you could help me think of a new name. I have to do that before I can ever start on all this paperwork and it will take me ages!"

Crowley wrinkled his nose. "Yeah…I remember how bad it was when I changed mine. Think there was actually more than this." He looked up at Aziraphale. "Angel… If you want my advice, I don't think you should do this."

Aziraphale looked up from the papers. "Why not?"

Crowley shifted slightly. "Because. It's your name. I mean…I would have thought you angels would be more, ya know, stuck up about it. I mean, wasn't God supposed to have named all the angels?"

Aziraphale sat back. He hadn't actually thought of that before, but he supposed Crowley did have a point…

"But what will I do? No one ever remembers my name and it's so painfully embarrassing."

Crowley rolled his eyes slightly. "Of course that would be your main concern. Listen, angel—Aziraphale," he amended, actually surprising the angel in question. It was rare for the demon to call him by his given name, and Aziraphale suspected it had more to do with how long it was than the fact Crowley didn't want to be heard saying it. "I just…don't think you would be, ya know, _you_ if you changed your name. It's yours. And it… suits you."

Aziraphale sat back and thought for a long second as he stared at Crowley who was staring at his tea, looking slightly embarrassed. Maybe the demon had a point. Perhaps the reason Aziraphale couldn't think of another name is because there just really wasn't another name for him. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

He sighed. Of course it would be annoying when the other angels inevitably failed to call him by his actual name, but…well, perhaps he would feel like he was missing something too if he took on a different name.

"Perhaps you're right," he said finally and Crowley looked up, an expression of relief on his face.

"'Course I am."

"And you know," Aziraphale continued musingly. "I think your name suits you very well too. Crowley, that is—not Crawly."

"Yeah?" the demon asked cautiously.

"Yes," Aziraphale said with a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear it," Crowley told him. "Aziraphale."

_~~~~~~~_

_The next day_ when Aziraphale was back in heaven Gabriel spotted him as he passed by.

"Ah, Aziraphale, how is the name change going?"

Aziraphale glanced up at him. "Oh, well, actually I decided against it. I thought that it would be better in the long run that I simply kept my name the way it is."

Gabriel gave a disinterested shrug. "It's your choice. Have you done your most recent report?"

"Delivering it now," Aziraphale said, refraining from sighing as he went down another hallway to the angel he was supposed to surrender his report to.

As soon as he opened the door he was greeted by, "Ah, there you are Azraphael…"

Aziraphale sighed. Some things would never change.

But, in the case of his name, he didn't really mind the lack of change so much.

**Author's Note:**

> I have an art/crafting instagram account now if you want to follow me there. I post a lot more art stuff there than on my Tumblr. :) https://www.instagram.com/ladyofinkandpaper/


End file.
